A birthday, Halloween and Christmas

A busy time, we have been away with friends and it was our son's 36th birthday the day after we were home. 

I've made him a cake every year, cake number 36 was in fact small cakes. I made a few gluten & dairy free chocolate cup cakes for after our Chinese takeaway.

They have a black labrador who although he still calls puppy she's nearly one and no longer puppy size. I stitched this etsy chart for him, it's quite effective isn't it. 

We're very proud of him especially becoming a University lecturer and starting All Mana of Games which hosts social events for board game enthusiasts, from small events there is now a website with an online shop and regular podcasts.

All Mana of Games 

As it's nearly Halloween Hubby has been in the attic for me to get my seasonal ornaments. I've picked up a few new items to add to them, no new stitching but a few new horse chestnuts and Chinese lanterns from the garden.

This month I have been taking part in the British Heart Foundation's Strong Woman Challenge. They have design an exercise plan  one focus movement a day with a warm up and cool down. I have managed to keep up with the plan but I have often done 2 days in one as life is busy. I have a Just Giving page to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, I'm very grateful to my generous supporters who have kept me going. The British Heart Foundation have sent me a neck muffled too.

And finally Christmas, well sort of. I have made up my 12 Days of Christmas ready for the church tree. I stitched Jo Verso's design from one of her books. I am working on finishing the lovely days my stitchy friends sent me, thank you all so much. I'm hoping to have them done ready for my next post.

Another wedding gift

I haven't been blogging much as my work has been mainly gifts and I don't like to post about them until they have been received. 

Last week we had the pleasure of going to the evening celebration of our neighbours wedding. They are the nicest neighbours we've had in the 40 years we've lived in our home and we were very touched when they invited us as they have been here less than 2 years. 

I stitched a Lizzie Kate design for them and had a frame made, although I did mount it myself. I'm pleased to say they loved it.

I also made these Christmas ornaments for our Granddaughter, they were some quilting panels I'd had in my stash for quite a while. I left the ribbon open at the top so our daughter can attach them to various baby things; crib, playmat, highchair.

It's amazing she is already 4 months, I was so pleased to see her listening and looking straight at the bell when I gave them to her. She's certainly growing in many ways, we see big changes as we live a few hour away and visit every few weeks or so.

Back in May I joined Slimming World as I decided it was time to do something for me, not because there is an event coming but for myself. I've stayed on plan but have still had holidays and every week I have lost, all be it some weeks it's been 1/2 a pound. I am very close to my 2 stone award so hopefully that will be another certificate for my wardrobe door.

Some of my certificates are for Slimming World's Body Magic programme. This is to encourage us to exercise and move more, last week I received my Silver Award.

My Body Magic progress has been helped by taking part in October's Strong Woman Challenge for the British Heart Foundation. There's an excellent exercise programme focusing on one specific exercise each day and a weekly round up. I have successfully completed every day so far.

Again I am doing this for me but it is a good feeling to also be raising money for such a great charity. 

Just Giving

 Clare Hearnden's Strong Woman Challenge 

Thank you to everyone who has donated already, it is very much appreciated. 

I'll be blogging again this month as my next gift will have been given.

A wedding gift & my birthday

I stitched a wedding gift for my hairdresser and her hubby. It's a second wedding for both and they married in Zante, one of the Greek Islands.

With lots of careful chatting at each appointment and a sneaky question about which metal their rings would be I sorted neutral colours and gold rings.

After decorating our lounge I had lots of wallpaper left over - we did one wall but because of pattern matches had to buy three rolls. So I put it to good use as wrapping paper and cut out a flower as the label, I found a few buttons to finish it off.

Earlier in September it was my birthday, how am I now 61?

We went away for a few days, I took some cards and gifts with me to open on the day, there were more waiting when I arrived home - thank you to all my family and my friends, you are very kind.

These three envelopes filled my heart - my most special names 

I received some superb wines, one of which we had on holiday, and some lovely gifts as well as a huge array of cards

But these were my favourite gifts 

It's been a busy September so far, lots of lovely days which I will be posting about in my other blog Wine, Food and Travel with Clare 

Gold time

After a few months gap mainly due to breaking my wrist and subsequent muscle problems I have started doing a little more on the church altar cloth. 

The church have sourced some gold which I have started to apply. It looks great so they will order more for me to use on the other flowers.

This is the flower I focused on for the gold work, the colours are slightly different as some photos were taken in electric light.

So far I have finished the colour work on four flowers, there's three more on this panel but they don't need as much work as the others did.

Making up time

It's time to start making up my 12 days beginning with the Jo Verso set I stitched. 

I've been focusing on using or selling my stash as there is so much. It isn't that I don't like it but having turned 60 last year I looked at things with different eyes and much as I can see what things will make I don't realistically have enough hours, days, weeks, months or years to do it all, that's okd age syndrome setting it hee hee

Anyway I have lots of small bits of Christmas fabric which have been perfect for backing each ornament. 

I quite enjoyed measuring, cutting and glueing these into 12 backing pieces and I'm very pleased with how they look.

Today I'm going to mount each cross stitch piece but I need to restitch four numbers as Jo's set have 9 10 11 and 12 different to the others I have.

Today is our daughter and son-in-law's 3rd wedding anniversary, where did those three years go? It's leather for a third anniversary but our daughter doesn't like animal products so I bought a piece of faux leather and made them a bookmark each.

The very hot days have finally ended here and now we have heavy rain with thunderstorms, it's certainly been a strange summer.

Using left overs

No not food ....wallpaper!

We've just redecorated our lounge, just one wall of paper that is 7 drops but because of the pattern repeat we had to buy 3 rolls and we have loads left including lots of off cuts.

I have just stitched a wedding gift for my hairdresser but I can't share just yet. However I can share my wallpaper wrapping!

I cut out some flowers to make a label and found some wooden buttons in my stash. I love how it turned out.

I'm using a lot of the paper wrapping books for a mystery book lucky dip at our Afternoon Tea at scouts. But there will still be lots left!

Needlecraft Haven Summer Exchange

This year our Summer Exchange was a non-stitchy exchange mainly because with the very hot temperatures in the UK and France we were all finding it hard to stitch.

Each exchange parcel had to include:

• a packet of handbag size tissues
• a free online recipe
• a pamper item
• a summer treat 

My exchange parcel was for Mary and I tried to theme it around the lovely Cath Kidson cherry tissues I found. 

As the weather was so warm I didn't put in chocolate instead I found some Cherry Squashies and Werther's Original Butter Candies.

Mary's pamper gifts were Hurts Bees Cherry lip balm and some butter hand cream.

I choose a recipe from Jane's Patisserie - Berry Bakewell Cake 

I received a lovely exchange parcel from Julie

The tissues are beautiful  a pack of roses and a pack of butterflies.

The handcream is fragranced 'sweet flowers' and is now by my chair as it seems to soak in well so can be used when stitching.

The Robinsons is a great size for taking on holiday and refilling my water bottle.

Julie's recipe made me chuckle as Angel Cake ss it was from 'Baking with Granny'. It was one of my Dad's favourites and always gave us a smile as he would write Angle Cake on his shopping list - it will always be Angle Cake to us.

As always we've had another great exchange at Needlecraft Haven, our next exchange will be a stitchy one for the autumn.